German WWII Vet fields questions, raises some in Oak Ridge

“This is my country of choice …,” 90-year-old Gerhard Hennes shared with a large crowd gathered in the City Room of Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge campus. “… Not my country of birth.”

by Darrell Richardson

“This is my country of choice …,” 90-year-old Gerhard Hennes shared with a large crowd gathered in the City Room of Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge campus. “… Not my country of birth.”

Hennes’ audience ranged from several younger Roane State students to a group of American World War II veterans who came to hear what the speaker had to say. For Hennes is a veteran himself — a German veteran of World War II who served as an officer in the German signal corps and fought in the Polish invasion, the Battle of France and in the North Africa campaign.

In North Africa, Hennes was stationed at the Army headquarters of Erwin Rommel. Hennes surrendered with the Afrika Korps in 1943 and then spent the remainder of World War II in 16 prisoner-of-war camps, including more than a year in Crossville, Tenn.

Following the war, he was deported to Germany in 1945 but immigrated back to the United States in 1953 and became a citizen in ’58. Hennes currently lives in Fredericksburg, Va., and has written four books, including two on his wartime experiences.

Following an afternoon Q&A session in Oak Ridge, the 90-year-old German WWII veteran had the opportunity to lecture at Roane State’s campus in Roane County. That lecture was presented by the Roane State-Bethel University 2+2 education program.

Describing himself as “an amateur historian who never graduated,” Hennes shared his memories of being an exchange student in London in 1939 when the 17-year-old — not sure what to do — was repeatedly asked “what was Herr Hitler, they called him Herr Hitler, up to.” Saying he remained confused and uncertain by all the talk surrounding Adolph Hitler and “pillboxes” as a student, it was nevertheless a little more than two years later that, as a 19-year-old lieutenant and Officer of the Day, Hennes found himself visiting Russian POWs who “were accommodated, though accommodated is not the right word,” by the Germans in October 1941.

As Officer of the Day, he recalled taking another German soldier by surprise when Hennes said he would like to see one of the barracks.

“They did not march anymore, they did not walk anymore. They shuffled because they were starving to death,” Hennes told his Anderson County audience. “That image has stayed with me to this very day because I believe in collective guilt.

“I did not report it,” he added. “I was a professional coward.”

By May 1943, the German soldier was a prisoner of war himself.

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During the question-and-answer session of Hennes visit to The Secret City, he said not everyone was a member of the Nazi party and added: “I was never a Hitler youth.”

Underscoring, perhaps, some of the complexities of wartime Germany, Hennes said his father was both a party member and a minister.

“My father,” said Hennes, “confessed to us kids he had possible conflicts … with serving God and serving Adolph Hitler.” But, Hennes philosophized, many men have difficulty “undressing their souls.”

Regarding getting lost in the deserts of North Africa, Hennes conceded that “most people didn’t know where they were in the desert.” But, he said, “one person always knew and that was Rommel.”

Be that as it may, and despite the reputed respect Rommel earned from his troops, Hennes opined that “all generals are good people to stay away from.”

“I’m anti-authority,” he said. “Especially when imposed. So stay away from generals.”

Asked by a student to discuss his take on the similarities between the current American “empire” and 1930s Germany, Hennes opined that “most Americans reject out of hand that we are an empire, but we are one whether we are in denial or not.”

And, he added, “with all the opportunities and burdens of an empire,” the United States finds itself facing a lot of difficulties ranging from American soldiers being in a lot of places where the U.S. has economic interests to international competition from China, India and Brazil.

“I believe in soft power not military power, as you might understand,” said Hennes. Though he strongly supported “identifying with our soldiers,” he also emphasized taking a close look at where our U.S. soldiers are and why.

“What the hell are we winning in Afghanistan?” he asked.

Returning to a question raised about the average German citizen’s knowledge of the Nazi concentration camps during World War II, Hennes said the vast majority of his countrymen — unless they were guards or trained personnel — didn’t know about the now infamous death camps.

“This seems incredible to believe unless you believe this witness,” he said. “The majority of the German people didn’t know about the concentration camps.”

As for the disappearance of their neighbors, friends and business partners, Hennes stated: “We were told these were people who opposed the system … malcontents who were being straightened out.”

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Concluding his short initial presentation and expanded Q&A session, Hennes warned that “everybody who says they don’t see parallels between pre-war Germany and modern-day America is a bloody fool.”

“Always keep your eyes open and your heart ticking for the heartbeat of a great nation,” he said. “But avoid the word ‘great,’ good is good enough. …”

Noting that “the young ones are preoccupied with other things,” Hennes said: “Wake up, Teachers … Wake up, Ministers … We are sound asleep and we are doing ‘great’?”